The Mindset Shift that Helped me Leave my 9 to 5

2020 was a year that has brought about many changes for many of us. For me, this was the year I decided to take the leap and become fully self-employed. Yup, no more traditional 9 to 5 and doing what I think I should be doing. Living out the blueprint for my life I set for myself.

How I got there? I stopped telling myself I should do or be anything.

Halo Top -- my favorite ice cream brand! -- has empowered us to talk about the importance of eliminating the should from our narrative. Shoulds breed shame, guilt and feelings of being “less than.” This word, unfortunately, comes with the power to create a barrier from feeling good about ourselves and living the life we want.

For a while, I was told I should climb the corporate and agency ladder as quickly as I could. Study this, work in that. Take the next title, make the next smart move and work your way toward some sort of leadership team. Somewhere in this journey I felt called to do more -- and for me that meant I might have to build my own company from scratch to shape the industry in the way I saw it.

So, I committed to #StopShouldingMyself to take a detour in my professional journey that was right for me. In late 2018 I created an LLC to run my side hustle as content creator and consultant. In 2019 I began to build a network and consistent income stream while still working at a major agency. I stopped telling myself I should follow the path I was told was best for me, and that I should make professional moves on someone else’s timeline.

I turned the “I should” voice into “I am excited to” and it completely changed my life. I continued to do consulting as a freelancer, content creation for brands, and am now creating my first online group coaching program (what?!).

...and I get to do it all on my own time, eating all the ice cream I want while WFA (working from anywhere). Not only does Halo Top celebrate this guilt-free mantra, it’s a guilt-free snack I always have stocked in my fridge. I feel good about eating it knowing it has lower calories and more protein. Eat as little or as much as you want, while still feeling good about yourself.

Now that you’ve heard my story, I am challenging you to chase the thing you do really well and love doing and defy the “shoulds” in your life to get there. ARE YOU IN?!

This post is sponsored by Halo Top. Opinions are my own.